Post puller



June 23, 1925.

I L. RENARI POST FULLER ,Filed May 21, 1924 INVENTOR I Q Qbm A'ITQRHEY Louis Renard Patented June 23, 1925.

PATENT QFFICE.

LOUIS RENARI, OF SANTA ROSA, CALTFORNIA.

POST FULLER.

Application filed May 21, 1924. Serial No. 714,804.

To all whom it may concern: 7 Be it known that I, LOUIS RE ART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Santa Rosa, county of Sonoma, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Post Pullers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application. This inventionyrelates to improvements in devices for pulling fence or other posts from the ground after they have been firmly embedded therein, the principal objects of my invention being to provide a device of this character which may be easily applied to a post for raising purposes, which will cause the post to be raised straight up instead of being pulled to one side, which can be used to pull posts of difierent sizes, and which is mounted on supporting wheels so arranged to form a fulcrum for the leverage by means of which the post is raised, as well as a means for enabling the puller to be easily transported from one place to another. 7 Y

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the 'following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a. side elevation of my improved puller as applied to a post, the rear wheel being removed.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device, and Fig. 3 is .an end view of the same, partly in section.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference marked on the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes transversely spaced frame members, substantially horizontal, and provided adjacent their forward ends with a supporting means 2 for the transversely alined spindles 3 of supporting wheels 4 of somewhat large diameter. This frame structure may be built as a one-piece metal casting, or as an assembled structure of wood or metal or both. In any event however the frames at their rear ends, where they are perforce disconnected, must have suflici-ent inherent strength to resist lateral spreading.

Located between the frames 1 adjacent their rear ends in opposed transverse alinement are guide shoes 5, these shoes being journaled in the framesby alined but independent pins 6. In order to insure swinging or rotating movement of the, shoes in unison they are connected at their forward ends by a cross bar 7.

The inner or adjacent faces of these shoes are provided with grooves 8 from top to bottom, and'with a converging taper relative to each other from their upper to their lower ends. In these grooves slide wedge-' blocks 9, whose adjacent faces are parallel 'to each other and are preferably provided with horizontal teeth 10 or some similar for mat-ion to provide a firm gripping means for the sides of a post 11 with which, said blocks are to be engaged.

Attached to the frame structure 1 and extending longitudinally thereof beyond the wheels 4 in the direction away from the wedges is a handle member 12 of suitable length, having transverse hooks 13 or the like at a suitable point to enable. draft means to be attached. An extension handle 1 may be applied to the front end of the main handle 12 if it is desired to increase the leverage.

To enable the wedge blocks to be manually raised, and hence separated, a cross rod 15 is mounted on the frame ahead of and above the wedges, said rod having a handle 16 on one end. Arms 17 are fixed on the rod 15 and overhang the wedges, being connected thereto by flexible link means 18.

In operation, the device is wheeled to a suitable position adjacent a post to be pulled so that the post is in alinement with the opening between the rear ends of the frames. The wedge blocks 9 are then raised to separate the same the necessary distance as above described. WVhile the blocks are thus held raised, the structure is moved so as to cause the blocks to aline with the opposite sides of the post, the blocks being then released so that they will drop of their own weight and engage the post; To prevent the possibility of the post going too far forward,

the forward ends of the blocks may if desired have inwardly projecting flanges 19, forming stops for the post.

The handle is then raised to a desired height, so that the frames 1 will be lowered and the blocks caused to slip down on the post, the wheel-spindles serving as the fulcrum of the lever thus formed.

If the handle is then depressed, the blocks, owin to the relatively tapered grooves in which they are slidable, will tend to approach each other, and will firmly grip the post, and the greater the pressure exerted on the handle, the firmer will be the grip of the blocks on the post, preventing the latter from slipping and causing the same to be withdrawn from the ground.

By reason of the pivotal mounting of the shoes and blocks, the latter always remain in a vertical position regardless of the angle of the frame preventing a rubbing movement between the blocks and post and insuring that the latter will be pulled straight up.

This swivel mounting of the shoes also enables posts which are not square with the land to be raised with equal facility and in a straight line lengthwise of the post.

Since the fulcrum of the structure is not fixed at a certain distance from the post, the blocks will not be disengaged from the post in a direction longitudinally of the frame with any raising and lowering movement of the latter. In other words, the blocks rather than the fulcrum point of the lever structure remain in a fixed vertical plane.

If desired however in a less expensive form of the device, the swivel feature may be omitted and the blocks mounted directly in the frames.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction ofthe device, still in practice such deviations from such details may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A post puller comprising a lever piv oted intermediate its ends above the ground, one end of said lever having transversely spaced forks, opposed and separated gripping members having parallel gripping faces mounted between the forks, said forks being open beyond the members in a plane parallel to said faces thereof, and stop flanges projecting toward each other from the forward ends of the gripping members, whereby to limit the horizontal movement of said members relative to a post.

2. A post puller comprising a lever structure pivoted and supported from the ground intermediate its ends, opposed blocks adapted to engage the opposite sides of a post, op-

posed guide means for the blocks pivoted transversely of the structure, the blocks being movable vertically in the guide means an opening being had between said means to allow of the passage of a post therebetween at one end, and a connecting member between said means at the opposite end thereof whereby the guide means may swing as a unit.

3. A post puller comprising a lever structure pivoted and supported from the ground intermediateits ends, opposed blocks adapted to engage the opposite sides of a post, guide means for the blocks mounted on the structure, and hand actuated means attached to the blocks to enable them to be raised at will, simultaneously and independently of the lever structure.

4. A post puller comprising a lever structure pivoted and supported from the ground intermediate its ends, opposed blocks adapted to engage the opposite sides of a post, and guide means for said blocks pivoted as a unit in the lever structure, the blocks being vertically movable in the guide means.

5. A post puller comprising a lever structure pivoted and supported from the ground intermediate its ends, opposed blocks adapted to engage the opposite sides of a post, and guide means for said blocks pivoted as a unit in the lever structure, the blocks being arranged for upward diverging movement in the guide means, and hand means mounted on the lever structure and connected to the blocks to move them upwardly simultaneously, whereby to enable the blocks to be adjusted to take posts of different sizes and to be held in a predetermined position while a post is being engaged thereby.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

Louis RENARI, 

